Scarlet Fever
by AJRedRobin
Summary: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart? And who is the mysterious Mr. Whiteface?
1. Discussion at the Breakfast Table

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart? And who is the mysterious Mr. Whiteface?

Scarlet Fever

Part 1: Discussion at the Breakfast Table

Tim woke up sore. He was in Dick's room. Damian was there, along with Jason. Jason must have come in after he took care of Dr. Amir. Maybe later he'll go see the Doctor and arrange for asylum so he can stay in this country, maybe give him a new identity so Ra's won't search for him. He didn't really remember what happened after Alfred had examined him and Dick carried him up to his room. He must have fallen into a pretty deep sleep. That whole night seemed like a blur. He had been shaking for sure, and Dick had been comforting him. Did he break down? He was in clean dry pajamas. His hair felt clean and washed. Dick must have made good on his promise and had him get a bath, but it was a blur. It's like he blanked it out. He must have been in some kind of shock. His back also felt bruised. His stomach though was driving him crazy with hunger. Tim carefully crawled out of bed so he wouldn't disturb Dick. He had to step over Damian and Jason. They were in their sleeping bags on the floor. He carefully opened the door and slipped out into the hall. He was closing the door as silently as he could so as not to disturb his brothers when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Tim?"

"Aahh," Tim gave a started cry. It was Sasha. He hadn't seen her standing there.

"I'm sorry, I was going to see if Jason was awake so we could go get breakfast together."

"He . . . He's asleep." Tim had to calm his raising heart.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine."

Sasha didn't think Tim was telling the truth, but she was far more interested in getting breakfast than finding out what could be bothering Tim. "Well, if you're fine. I'll see you at breakfast."

Tim started to lean on the door frame then pulled away when he felt the bruising. He followed Sasha downstairs after a minute or two and followed her into the kitchen. Bruce was having coffee and reading the paper.

"Tim, how you feeling this morning," Bruce asked.

"I'm fine."

"You sure about that? You still look a bit shaken."

"I said I'm fine," Tim argued.

"Tim, you were raped," Bruce said. "You need to take it easy for a few days at least. Besides, I don't think your brothers are going to leave you alone."

Sasha's face went pale when she overheard Bruce. Someone raped Tim? The thought was unthinkable. Soon after, Dick, Jason, and Damian came scrambling into the kitchen with worried faces.

"See what I mean," Bruce smirked.

Tim sighed with frustration. "Guys, I'm fine."

'We'll be the judge of that," Dick said, as he sat next to Bruce to eat his own breakfast. Jason smirked and sat next to Dick. Damian grabbed one of the remaining chairs. Sasha grabbed the plate that Alfred had fixed and sat at the opposite end of the table to listen in on the conversation.

"-tt-" Damian scoffed.

Tim ignored his brothers, and changed the subject. "Where's Sammie?"

"I haven't seen her this morning."

"I really need to apologize to her, but I don't know if she will even speak to me."

"Just go knock on her door," Dick suggested as he took a sip of Bruce's coffee, made a face then grabbed some orange juice.

"But duck if she throws the furniture at you," Jason added as he buttered some toast.

"I wouldn't risk it," Damian added as well. "Not till hell freezes over. I suggest you leave her alone."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Tim growled back.

"You're welcome," Damian replied. "It's your own fault."

"My fault?"

"You left, if you hadn't left, you wouldn't have been killed."

"I'm not dead!"

"And your point is?"

"Damian, don't you have school?" Bruce warned.

"Yes, Father." Damian drank down his orange juice then went to grab his backpack.

"I shall drive you, Master Damian."

"-tt-." Damian gave a disgusted sound that indicated he wasn't ready to leave, but was forced to.

Bruce ignored his fourth son's response. "Tim, Samantha is probably in her room."

Tim wanted to talk to Samantha, but he hadn't seen her since he got back. Tim gingerly sat down in the remaining chair next to Damian and Alfred placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of him.

"You're still sore," Bruce noted. "Go into the pool area and sit in the hot tub. That will relieve the soreness."

"Okay, sure." Tim picked up his fork and started to move his eggs around the place.

"You going to eat those or build an eggy sandcastle," Jason smirked.

"I'm not really hungry," Tim said, his appetite fading after Bruce mentioned the rape.

"You need to eat something little brother," Dick said as he took a bite of his eggs that Alfred placed in front of him.

"Eat Master Timothy, they will get cold otherwise."

Tim sighed and took a bite of his eggs. His stomach resumed his growling. 'I guess I am a little hungry.'

After Breakfast, Tim followed Bruce's advice. He went to the indoor pool area and went over to the hot tub. He turned on the jets then stripped out of his clothes. To be honest, he really wasn't fine. His mind was still in emotional shock. He never had anyone go after him like that before. It made him shudder. What would cause a grown man to want to . . . Tim didn't finish the thought. It probably would make him sick to his stomach and he's lose his breakfast if he did. Tim crawled into the hot tub and pulled his knees up to his chest. Images of what happened assaulted his mind and he couldn't help the tears falling down his face. What he really wanted was Sammie to heal him, to take this ache in his heart away. Dick could usually sooth his fears as well, but this, this was different. He had never been taken advantage of like that. Oh, he had come close, villains like Poison Ivy or Catwoman, even Lynx, but they would never succeed. Thinking about being a prisoner of Devlin and meeting Sammie, but that was different, wasn't it? She seduced him or did he take advantage of her, he wasn't sure any more. They had been prisoners together and they helped rescue each other, but now Tim didn't know if Sammie would even speak to him. She wasn't at breakfast. Was she avoiding him? Was she still angry after all this time?

'Maybe she still doesn't want to see me," Tim thought. 'I guess I'm just going to have to find out. She's carrying my children. If we can't work things out . . . " The ache in Tim's heart grew from a small crack to a fissure.

As the soreness was eased in the steam and the bubbling water of the hot tub, Tim let the tears of a broken heart fall.

Continues with Part 2


	2. Dreams of a Terrifying Nature

Scarlet Fever

Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart? And who is the mysterious Mr. Whiteface?

Part 2: Dreams of a Terrifying Nature

Samantha heard several shots go off. She stopped breathing. She studied Tim while he slept. He was fine. The bullets didn't hit him, but why did she think that Tim had been shot? She didn't find it unusual that she was in his room. Was it because he had been or was it because he was going to be? What had she seen? Everything felt strange. She went to the window. Jason was outside firing his guns at some unknown attacker in the distance. The attacker came closer. Every bullet that Jason fired seemed to bounce off the guy. The look on Jason's face was pure terror. As the figure drew closer, the man swung something at Jason knocking him aside. Samantha could clearly see the man's face now. He was pasty white and he had a grin that was almost as wide as his face. His lips were blood red and his hair was green. Then he started laughing.

"HHHHAAAAHHHAAAAHHHAAHHHAAAAAHHHHAAAA!"

Samantha shrunk away from the maniacal laughter. She stumbled over something and looked down. Her eyes became wide with fright. Tim was dressed in the costume that Bruce had shown her. He had called Tim, Red Robin. Tim was lying on the ground, he was bloody and beaten. His uniform was torn in places. And his pair of red wings were pinned down as if he was a butterfly specimen. The mask he was wearing was partially torn away and there was blood running down his face. His limbs were twisted and broken and his eyes were sightless. The maniacal laughter continued in the background, a wild laugh that sent chills down her spine.

"Poor little birdie has fallen. Now it's your turn!"

The pasty white face rushed toward her and Samantha could not help screaming. "EEEEAAAAAAHHHHH,"

Samantha suddenly sat up in bed and hugged her knees to her chest. She was trembling. What had she just dreamed? Who was that man, that man with the white face and red lips? He had killed Tim. No, Tim was with his brothers. Dick had kept Tim with him since they had returned from wherever they had gone to rescue him. Damian and Jason were with them, too.

'I haven't been able to see, Tim," Samantha stated. "I yelled at him at the dance and then he left. I couldn't take it back, and when that plane crashed I thought the worse, but I knew it couldn't be true. And now that he's home, I'm afraid to see him. Maybe I should apologize, but he left me with two babies still inside me. It's been weeks.'

Samantha felt frozen in place. She didn't know what to do. Dick was keeping Tim close to him, not letting him out of his sight, and even Damian didn't seem to want to leave Tim's side either. She was so confused on what to do. Samantha eventually fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Continues with Part 2


	3. Mister Whiteface

**_A/N: This is being posted a little early. Will be out for the whole day on Monday._**

Scarlet Fever

Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart? And who is the mysterious Mr. Whiteface?

Part 3: Mister Whiteface

This scheme was his most brilliant one yet. It was bound to attract one of the Bat's brats sooner or later. He wanted to get rid of all of them, drive the Bat insane before he killed him. For now, getting rid of them one by one will have to make do. If he couldn't get rid of them, he was going to make sure they wouldn't interfere with his plans.

'Those birds could be so annoying,' Mr. Whiteface thought. 'This scheme should do the trick.'

Three locations with three different traps. One of them was bound to fall into his hands sooner or later. His hands were itching to brain a bird. It didn't matter which one. Sooner or later, one will fall into his lap. Mr. Whiteface entered the shabby office in a rung down area of Gotham City. He had put out the word that he was looking for a few good men to sell some products. The new pill was sure to put a smile on everyone's faces. Not long in waiting, there was a knock on the office door that Mr. Whiteface had rented.

"Come in."

"Mr. Whiteface?"

"Yes?" Mr. Whiteface answered with a toothy grin as he lowered the lights and placed a wide brim hat on his head.

"I'm here about the ad," the man stated nervously as he entered the now gloomy office.

"Good, why don't we talk." Mr. Whiteface got up from behind his desk and placed an arm around the man and led him to a chair. "What are your qualifications? Have you sold many products before?"

'Um some," the man was becoming more nervous.

"What kind of products."

'Um magazines door to door," the man stated. "Pots and pans, um the usual kind of things."

"Did it go well for you?"

"I guess so. I made a little bit of money. What are you selling?"

"Oh, nothing really, just a new kind of diet pill you might say. It's sure to make everyone happy. Of course, I need someone whom I can test it on, You wouldn't happen to know anyone."

"Yeah, I think I might," the guy said. The man tried to get a good look at Mr, Whiteface. He could barely see his face due to the wide brim hat he was wearing and the fact that he kept his back to the window. "Um, my cousin. He's been wanting to lose weight, but he can't afford them expensive diet pills."

"Tell, you want, I'll give you a sample. If he likes it, I can give you a whole box, but what I'm really looking for is someone who can help sell my pills. There are so many people who can use them, you know what I mean?"

'Yeah, I think I do,"

Mr. Whiteface moved to the back of the desk and pulled out a box of pills he had ready. He handed them over to the man.

"Now when you sell the pills, sell about ten at a time. Charge about $20. There are about 100 pills in the box."

"Twenty dollars for a packet of ten pills? Isn't that a little steep? They sell diet pills in the drug store for that amount and you get a 30 day supply."

"Aw, but you will get to keep some of the money since you will be one of my sales people."

'Well, that's true," the guy agreed. "How much money do I get to keep?"

"Oh, say, fifteen dollars for every twenty?" Mr. Whiteface suggested.

'You're kidding me?"

"No, and there will be more where that comes from."

'Thank you, sir." The man was excited.

"Oh it's a cash only transaction. By the way, what is your name?" Mr. Whiteface questioned.

"Perry, Perry Herbert."

"Well, Perry, you should smile. I believe your ship has come in. Oh Mr. Herbert, come back tomorrow after you sell that box. I'll give you another one. And don't forget to bring back the cash."

Perry Herbert left Mr. Whiteface's office with the box of pills. He couldn't wait to tell his cousin. He got a new job and he was going to be making a lot of money. Mr. Whiteface smiled, his grin going wide.

'Diet pills," he thought. 'People will believe anything. Just wait till they get a taste, it will be a scream."

Continues with Part 4


	4. Making up and Mental Revelations

_**I am posting this early since I will be having my surgery tomorrow and I may not be able to post it on Friday. I will try to post the next part next week, but the doctor may want me to stay in bed at least for several days.**_

A/N ^ represents thought speech. Samantha, being a healer, has opened pathways in everyone's minds so they can talk without words, especially to the unborn children. It can be used to speak privately with someone. Not everyone in the bat family will use this form of communication. The Unborn children speak using their auras. ~ is the symbol for that.

Scarlet Fever

Part 4: Making up and Mental Revelations

Two more days and nights had gone by and Tim still hadn't approached Samantha's door, and his brothers still would not let him out of their sight. At first no one wanted to let him patrol. Tim had to put his foot down.

"I need this," Tim said. "I'm going stir crazy at home."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Bruce asked. "Alfred hasn't cleared you."

"Bruce, I'm fine," Tim lied. He had been avoiding talking about the rape. It seemed to paralyze him every time he thought about what happened. He needed to do something with his time, something that would keep him from thinking about what happened to him.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Dick stated.

"You better, the Scarecrow is no one to mess with."

"We've dealt with him before," Nightwing said.

"Just watch each other's backs."

And after an extremely exhausting night of patrol and going after Scarecrow, Tim didn't remember coming home or going up to bed. Tim woke up in Dick's room. He turned over and almost fell off the bed when an arm wrapped around his waist. "Watch where you're going baby bird," Dick yawned. "Why am I still in my Red Robin uniform?"

"You don't remember?" Dick asked. His head was pounding. "Someone turn down the light please."

"Are you all right?" "Yeah, i'm okay, sort of. Did Bruce or Alfred use a sedative on me," Dick asked. He looked over to see Damian sleeping on the other side. "Wait. Damian is here, too? What happened?" "You don't remember?" "I remember holding you, and yelling at Bruce for trying to take you away." "You were yelling at Bruce?" Dick nodded. "I guess I don't remember much either. Must have been unconscious at the time. I should apologize for the way I acted." "Um . . . I think he'll understand." "What did happen?" Dick asked.

"Apparently, you got hit with fear toxin. You thought Bruce was some kind of demon that was after me."

"Yeah? But I think I hurt you."

'My ribs are a little sore, but other than that, I'm okay."

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to," Dick apologized. "I know. You couldn't help it." Tim said. "Be quiet, the both of you," Damian yawned. "Good morning sunshine," Tim said and reached over and patted Damian's head. "Don't start Drake," Damian smiled, and then swiped at Tim's hand. "Hahahaha. Maybe I better go get changed." "Take a shower, you stink," Damian teased as Tim left the room. Tim started to rise and looked back at Dick. He was being cautious, expecting Dick to grab ahold of him and grip him like he did before. This seemed to happen every time Tim had been kidnapped. Tim found it curious, but not unexpected. He was Dick's little brother. He just chalked it up to Dick not having him in his life the first 13 years. Dick yawned and turned to hold Damian. Damian settled into his embrace and they fell back to sleep. That seemed to ease Dick's fears. Tim got up and went to the cave to change out of his uniform and went into the shower. He had a few more bruises than he had before, but they were worth it. Taking down Scarecrow and his men was payback for all the grief he had put them through at one time or another. Once done, Tim went upstairs, but he didn't go to his room. He went across the hall to Samantha's room and tapped on the door. He was finally to talk to her after realizing he was probably being foolish and he did need to apologize to her for leaving so abruptly after the cotillion. When she didn't answer he quietly stepped inside. He found her asleep. She looked so beautiful when she slept. Tim sat on the bed and leaned over and gave her a kiss. Samantha felt a pair of lips on hers. "mmmm...Tim?" "Ummmmhhmmm," Tim continued to kiss her. Samantha opened her lips to let his tongue slip inside. He smelled delicious. She could tell he just got out of the shower. Samantha was enjoying kissing Tim when her thoughts returned to the past six weeks that Tim had been gone. She pushed him away then sat up.

"Sammie, what's wrong?"

"I'm still angry at you."

"Why?" Tim asked.

"You left without saying goodbye."

"There wasn't time," Tim explained. "I didn't know Bruce was going to send me out of town the next day after the cotillion."

"And why didn't you tell me you were some kind of vigilante?"

"Um . . . crime fighter. There's a difference." Tim corrected. "I was going to tell you . . ." Tim started to say when Sammie interrupted him.

" . . . Not only that, your whole family does it." "You know everything?"

"Yes, Timothy Wayne, I know everything." Samantha repeated his words.

"I'm glad."

"You're glad? Well, I'm not," Samantha complained. "You could get hurt. You, you were hurt. No, everyone thought you died."

"I wasn't in uniform . . . "

" . . . That doesn't matter. I was the only one who knew you were alive. It was killing me inside and your children, they . . . They were very upset."

"I'm sorry Sammie, I didn't mean to upset anyone. It's not like I did it on purpose."

"You have to be more careful," Samantha argued. "You're going to be a father. I don't want to be raising two children alone without you."

"You won't be alone . . . " Tim tried to explain.

" . . . You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know," Tim tried to comfort Samantha. "I'm really sorry. I didn't plan on getting kidnapped and being away for so long."

"I missed you. I left my island home to be with you."

"I know you did," Tim brushed his lips up against Samantha's. He wanted to get back to kissing her. "So, I know this is your room. And I've been taught that girls should not be alone in their room with a boy. Can I stay?" "Oh…I don't know," Samantha started to play along. "You promise to keep your hands to yourself?" "Well," Tim put a finger in his mouth and looked toward the ceiling like he was thinking about the question. "I hear girls can be just as . . . " Tim blushed and backed away just a little ways acting shy. "Naughty?" Samantha teased. "Well, I don't know about this girl. I can behave . . . Sometimes." She gave Tim a wicket grin like she had on the island when they first met. "Well, I guess I'm looking for a little naughty," Tim confessed. "I've been good all day."

"I'm looking for naughty too." Samantha pulled Tim closer so she could whisper in his ear. "Can you be a bad boy in bed?" Tim blushed then whispered back. "Let's find out." Samantha smiled and went down to kiss his neck. Tim nuzzled Samantha's neck as well. They were wrapped in each other's arms. Tim hands started to explore Samantha's body. Both were't aware of the time and they didn't come up for air for what ended up being the whole day, until Tim's stomach growled.

"Oh man I forgot about breakfast," Tim stated. "It's way past that. I think we've missed lunch and dinner."

Tim looked out the window. It was getting dark. "Oh man, I've got to go."

"Do … Do you have to go?" Samantha was aware that Caine wasn't so happy at his father trying to leave. "It's part of my job. I help keep Gotham safe. Tell you what I'll only be gone for a few hours." "Oh don't tell me," Samantha smiled and pointed to her belly. "Tell him. You can't tell he's upset?" Tim placed a hand on Sammie's belly and sure enough, he could tell through his aura that his son Caine was indeed agitated. ^It's okay Caine. I'll be back. I need to be out there, helping Batman as much as I can. How about I take my brothers with me?^ Caine must've said no because his aura lashed out and Tim pulled his hand away. "Whoa there little guy. Your brother is in there with you." Tim placed his hand on Samantha's belly again. He didn't know why Caine would be so upset. ^Caine, having a tantrum isn't helping. You'll upset your brother.^ "Our little boy is stubborn. I think he's mad at you." Samantha rubbed at her belly. ^It's fine Caine, calm down.^

"I'll make it up to him later. Come on. Let's get some dinner. I'm sure the boys are hungry. We kind of spent the whole day in bed." ^Mommie is a goddess. You need to protect her.^

Samantha's eyes widened. "Tim, you heard that in your head right. I wasn't imagining this right?" Tim's eyes grew wide as well. "I heard it too." Tim placed his hand on Samantha's belly, again. ^I promise I won't let bad stuff happen to her if I can help it, but your Mommy can protect herself.^ Samantha smiled. "Well, that's a new development." Samantha got up to put clothes on.

"Caleb is pretty quiet. I hope everything is okay with him." "I'm sure he'll talk when he wants to."

Tim put his briefs and jeans back on. He picked up his shirt and put that on as well. Samantha got dressed slipping on a pair of loose fitting jeans and a hoodie. There was no need to get dressed up if she wasn't going anywhere. They went down to the dining room to find Bruce, Jason, Sasha, Dick, and Damian already seated at the table. Alfred was serving the meal. "Sorry we're late," Tim said. So, this is what the dining room looks like. I almost forgot." "Come sit down," Dick smiled at Tim.

Tim sat next to Dick and his brother ruffled his hair.

~Mommy, sit next to Aunt Sasha.~

^No baby, there are no more seats.^ Samantha said privately to Caine as she moved to her usual seat on the other side of the table.

Samantha sighed. She could tell that Dick was being overprotective of Tim since they rescued him. She didn't understand why Tim didn't tell his brother off. She became distracted when Sasha changed the subject. "Um did I just hear a little voice in my head?" Sasha asked.

"Uh, yes...that was Caine." "How was that possible?" Sasha asked. A pang of jealously hit her in the pit of her stomach. Sasha had not heard her children like that. She was aware of their movement, but not their voices. ~Don't worry Aunt Sasha . . . You can hear them . . . Just concentrate~

"I don't know," Samantha said responding to Sasha's question. "Caine got mad at Tim. I mean really agitated." Alfred placed a plate of food in front of Tim. "Thanks Alfred.. " Tim dug into his plate and then he was aware of Dick, Jason, Bruce, and Damian staring at him. "What? I'm hungry." "Why did your baby get mad at you? How could you even tell your kid is mad at you?" Dick was curious. "I could feel their auras," Tim answered. "Um he doesn't want me to go on patrol and he doesn't want his mother to have bad stuff happening to her. Those were his words, not mine." Tim took a bite of food. "You're going to go on patrol after what happened?" Jason took a bite of food.

"Yeah, last night was the first time I had been out on patrol for weeks." Tim took another bit. "Bad stuff? What kind of bad stuff? Is he talking about sex? Did you hurt Auntie?" Damian scowled at Tim from across the table. "Damian! You can't say things like that," Dick said.

Tim nearly spewed his water across the table. "No, I did not, and no on the sex thing. As for bad stuff, I'm not sure where Caine is coming from." Jason had to hold his hand to my face to stop from spitting out his food. He couldn't stop laughing.

Bruce put his fingers on the bridge of his nose. He had to hand it to Damian, he got right to the heart of the matter, but he kept to the subject at hand. "You are determined to go on patrol again, Tim? After last night I thought you would take it easy." "I need to go on patrol." ~Dad no!~

"Hush Caine," Samantha whispered as she took a bite of her food.

"I don't mind going," Dick shrugged, making it look like he didn't really mind, but his stomach was doing flip-flops. He wasn't fully recovered from Scarecrow's fear toxin, but he needed to be there to protect Tim.

"Same here," Jason said. He kept his thoughts to himself. He needed to get into his territory and get what was owed him. Sasha knew about it, but she promised to keep it a secret. ^Caine why are you so determined that I don't leave? I need to do my job.^ ~Caleb said something bad is going to happen to Uncle Jason if you go! You're going to get hurt, too.~ Tim got up and came close to his fiancé and placed his hands on her belly. "Uncle Dick and Uncle Damian will be with us. We protect each other. You'll understand when you are older. The job of a crime fighter is to fight crime." Tim gave his sons a mental kiss. "Come Jason, Dick let's go. You coming Damian? Bruce you coming?"

"Just let me finish my dessert," Damian said, as he shoveled the food into his mouth.

"You three go ahead. I'll join you later." Bruce said. "Damian, you know you're only allowed to be in the cave after what you did."

"Father, that's not fair."

"You got Dick into a mess of trouble. Tim could have also gotten hurt."

Samantha felt her stomach lurch at that.

"You are confined to monitor duty until further notice."

"Me, Pennyworth is supposed to do that."

"Damian, don't make me ground you any further," Bruce growled.

"Yes, Father." Damian scowled. 'Stupid Drake. I could have taken Scarecrow out if he hadn't gotten in the way. It's his fault that Grayson got hit by fear gas. And now i got stuck sitting next to Todd's pregnant woman.' As Bruce's three older son's left, Samantha couldn't help wondering, was Caine right? It was hard enough trying to keep her fears from Tim, now she had to keep those fears from her children. 'If Tim gets hurt a second time, I don't know if I can take it.'

~Mommy, I don't think Daddy understands. Who's the guy with the crowbar?~

"Crowbar?" Samantha looked around the room. "No one here has a crowbar sweetie."

Even so, Samantha couldn't help feeling some trepidation.

Continues with Part 4


	5. In the Hood

_**A/N Hey everyone. I've got good news . . . And some bad. The good news is the surgery went well and I am Cancer Free! . . .The bad news . . . Scarlet Fever won't be posted as often since I am still in the process of healing.**_

Scarlet Fever

Part 5: In the Hood

Jim Gordon entered the coroner's office, his face a grim mask. There were several bodies covered in sheets littering the corridor, all within a 24 hour period. There were several more in the examination room of the morgue itself. It looked like an epidemic had struck, but there had been no reports of any outbreak of any infectious diseases, not since the Clinch had hit Gotham over a year ago.

"What have you got for me Nicky Elder?" the commissioner asked. as he approached the coroner.

"It's some new drug," Nicky stated. He pulled back one of the sheets. "I can't understand it. It's hard to break down. I've never seen anything like this for a street drug. It starts out innocent enough, but then this happens."

"You must be new here because that doesn't look like a new drug to me."

"I don't understand."

"Several years ago a similar drug showed up on the streets, their facial muscles being pulled back into a hideous grin with red lips. It was labeled the Joker drug."

"The Joker drug? Are you serious?" Nicky Elder's eyes widened.

"How long have you been in Gotham Mr. Elder?"

"Um, two years. I transferred from the midwest."

"Who did you work for?"

"I worked under Captain Blaisdale."

"Paul Blaisdell?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"You might say I do," Commissioner Gordon stated. Jim Gordon thought back when he was in the military. It had been many years since he spoke to his former Captain. He would have to get reacquainted and find out what he was doing these days. "We go way back. How is Captain Blaisdell?"

"Well, things changed over at Metro and well, it just wasn't the same when he left and so . . ."

"He left the hundred and first?"

"Yes, I don't want to talk about it."

"Understood Mr. Elder. Getting back to our victims, this does look like the work of the Joker."

"I'm not familiar with the Joker," Nicky Elder stated.

"No, but you should be," Commissioner Gordon added. "I suggest you read up on his file. Do not let the media get ahold of this information. I don't want a city-wide panic. I need to contact someone." The Commissioner left, his face even grimmer than before.

CTJDCTJD

Tim headed to the cave and changed into a fresh Red Robin uniform. This time, he left his wings behind and wore a black cape and mask. He grabbed a collapsible bow staff and added it to his arsenal along with several kinds of different pellets. He waited for his brothers to arrive. Jason went and changed into his Red Hood costume. He stepped out of the changing area and cracked my neck. "Come on Golden boy! Lil Red and I don't want to wait any longer!" he shouted back to the oldest.

"Shut up, I'm here." Nightwing stepped out placing his mask on his face. Red Robin climbed on his motorcycle and headed out, leading the way. Red Hood followed him on his own cycle, charging ahead of Nightwing. As they drew closer to the city a bad feeling started to grow at the pit of Red Hood's stomach. He ignored it. 'Nothing bad should happen . . . at least . . . That's what I think, I hope.' In the back of his mind, he was wondering why he should get creeped out like that. He had something he needed to do besides patrolling. He hoped he could ditch his brother's but they seemed to be determined to follow him, especially the replacement. "Where do you want to patrol?" Red Robin asked, talking in my com link. "If you two don't mind, can we check out my part of town?" Red Hood stated. "Haven't been there in a while and I know the drug trade is up high since I wasn't controlling it for a while." "What do you mean controlling it?" Red Robin questioned, but Hood didn't answer.

Hood nearly kicked himself for almost giving away that he was still somewhat involved though not as much as he was over a year ago.

"I don't mind," Nightwing responded. "Little Red?"

"Sure, no problem," Red Robin answered. "I guess Nightwing and I can patrol high, you can take the streets. We can let you know if we see anything sort of a bird's eye view." "I have an informant I need to see," Red Hood stated, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. 'That bastard better give me every name. I want the drug lords out of there. Even if I have to make an example of them, again. Not only that, they owe me.' "Sure thing," Red Robin replied, though his suspicions about Jason were put on alert. Red Hood decided to take the lead and pulled into a shady part of town. He turned off the cycle and waited for his brothers. Red Robin pulled his cycle into the shadows, not far from Red Hood's. "I'm going up top." He pulled out a grapnel hook, shot toward the edge of the roof and let it pull him up. Once on top of the roof he positioned himself out of sight so the informant couldn't spot him and bolt. "Nightwing! Where are you going to be?" Red Hood asked. "I don't want my informant spooked." "Up top as well, but on the same side as you, Little Wing," Nightwing stated.

Red Hood cringed at the nickname. "I'm not your "little wing" any more."

"You're always my little wing." Nightwing gave Jason a wide grin then went up to the roof across from Red Robin. He looked down in the alley where Red Hood was standing. Both watched Red Hood approached a door at the end of the alley. It was covered in graffiti. From where Red Robin was located, he could also see some of the wall was also covered in gang tags and other graffiti. This area was disputed territory. Red Robin pressed a small button on my mask to go to night vision mode so he could get a good look at the informants face as he came out of the door that Red Hood had knocked on just moments before. 'Don't recognize the informant,' Red Robin thought. 'Must be pretty new.' Though he hadn't patrolled in Red Hood's territory very often. Usually he would steer clear of the area because Jason was pretty touchy about people coming into his territory when he wasn't there. "Wish I would have brought a listening device. Can't' make out what they are saying and Hood isn't using sign language to let us know." Red Robin spoke on the private channel of the com link to Nightwing. He switched over to Hood's frequency. "Jason, keep your com link on so we know what's going on." Red Hood was getting annoyed, and Red Robin just spoke in his ear. He switched off his com link to keep his conversation private. He wasn't going to be able to respond.

"Jason . . . . Jason." Red Robin frowned. What was Jason up to?

'This kid ain't talking. It's annoying the hell out of me.' Using his left arm, Hood's hand shot to the kid's neck and pinned him to the wall. His right one held a gun to the informant's temple. "All right, you're going to talk. Not later not a minute from now, but right fucking now." Hood pressed the gun harder against the informant's skull. "Who are the ones leading the drug cartels? You know it's not the Red Hood because I'm standing right here in front of you." "All right, all right,' The information put up his hands in surrender. "He'll kill me if I tell. His name's Mr Whiteface. He showed up soon after Black Mask tried to muscle in. Smooth talker. That's all I know." "You don't know where he's located?" Red Hood pressed the gun a little harder. "He's been seen at the ruin amusement mile," the informant said then added, "And he hangs out at the defunct movie studio. And the warehouse district, but that's it. He catches me I'm dead. He'll gas me like he did with Slick Tom, and The Thumb." "The cartels work for me, remember that," Red Hood growled through his helmet. "And thanks for cooperating. You get to keep your life," Hood stuffed some bills out of sight from his brothers then dropped the informant and went back to his cycle. He drove around the corner and waited for Nightwing and Red Robin to catch up. He switched his com link back on. "Did you guys get that?" Red Robin was pissed. He didn't catch all of what the informant said. 'I'm out of practice reading lips.' Red Robin he said to himself. He also was at an angle where he couldn't see his face very well. In truth, Red Hood's helmet kept blocking his view, but if he had mentioned that, Jason would have complained that it was his fault for not positioning himself where he could see. And turning off his com link had been just plain rude. Nightwing dropped down beside Red Hood. "So what did he know?"

"Well, if you must know, 'Red Hood' was replaced with a man named Mr. Whiteface," Jason said with sarcasm. "A real smooth talker. He is based in the old amusement mile, the defunct movie studio, and the old warehouse." "That's practically every inch of your territory," Nightwing stated.

"So who is this Mr. Whiteface?" Red Robin asked. "Who's the only person that will use gas to kill off their workers and has a while face?" "Are you kidding me?" Nightwing commented. "Why pull that alias? He hasn't used it in years. Is he trying to mock Black Mask?"

"Everything is a fucking joke with that guy," Red Hood scoffed and gave out an irritated sigh "It's going to take a lot of work for me to rebuild up to what I had." "Wait . . . I thought you stopped all that," Red Robin stated.

"Look, Little Red, I don't have to answer to you," Hood stated. "The cartels respect me."

"You know Batman's not going to be too happy with you. And you've got two kids on the way. You going to raise them as part of the family or as future drug lords that we're going to have to take down. I don't believe this." Red Robin was pissed at Jason. He needed to get away from him. He felt hurt that Jason would betray the family like that. "I'm heading to Amusement Mile. Just do me a favor, don't follow me." Red Robin took off on his motorcycle before Nightwing could protest. "Red Robin, wait! We need to stay together!"

It was too late. Nightwing stared back at Jason. "What is wrong with you? You can't do that anymore! Lil Red is right. Two kids Red Hood. TWO! You have to stop this. Either take down the Joker and leave the trade for good or don't bother coming back to the manor."

"Are you trying to tell me that if I don't do as you order I won't be able to see my own kids? That sounds like a challenge Golden Boy."

"I'll make sure of it," Nightwing stated. "Make your decision . . . Now." If Nightwing needed to fight him on this he will. "They aren't going to be drug lords because of you."

"Who said I would bring them into it!"

"They are already brought into it when you went to that informant! Think before you act!"

"That informant gave us valuable info!" Red Hood started to get angry. He wanted to hit Nightwing, but he was right. 'Why does he always have to be fucking right,' he thought. "FINE! Fine! Urgh." Red Hood went to punch the wall.

Nightwing watched as Jason calmed himself down. He needed this. He needed to be reminded what was important, He was now married and expecting twins. He needed to end his association with the cartels before he or someone close to him could get killed. "Come on. Let's go hunt that psychotic clown down and put his ass back in Arkham. We can start by introducing ourselves to his Lab workers." RNHRNHRNH

Tears stung Red Robin's eyes behind his mask as he approached Amusement Mile. 'How could Jay do that, be involved with drug lords. I thought he was done with it. It's bad enough we live in two worlds you can't live in three.'

Red Robin reached the edge of Amusement Mile. He was going to have to search on foot. He had been listening to Nightwing and Red Hood discuss the situation. To think that the Joker was trying to break into Jason's territory should not have surprised him, The Joker though was worse than any drug dealing cartel. Instead of getting people hooked on whatever drug of choice was out there, he probably was simply getting them killed. The Joker probably has already left a string of bodies all over the place.

'The police are probably keeping it quiet,' Red Robin thought. 'I'm surprised the Commissioner hasn't called Batman by now.'

Red Robin continued through the ruined stands and amusement rides, keeping as close to the shadows as he could. If the Joker was here, he didn't want to alert any of the Joker's men that he was even in the area. The place needed serious repairs. It didn't look like anyone had been there for years. He made his way toward the fun house. It was one of the larger structures that might hide a criminal mastermind like "Mr. Whiteface."

Red Robin entered the funhouse with careful ease. A lot of the items that made up the fun house, like the mirrors that distorted a person's body were gone or broken. The walls were littered with gang symbols and graffiti, other evidence that this was disputed territory. Red Robin made his way toward the glass maze that made up the center of the fun house. The walls of the glass maze were smashed. The black lights that distorted a person's vision were still working, but the paint was peeling off the walls. Red Robin made his way though the broken parts of the maze. If it had been intact, he would have had to follow the path through the maze to the other side.

'And probably get myself lost in the process,' he thought. Red Robin reached what must have been the center of the maze at one time. He heard creaking and looked around to be sure no one had followed him. Something kept making that sound until he realized what it was, but it was too late. He couldn't move fast enough. The floorboards suddenly gave way. As he fell through into darkness, debris from above hit him on the head. He saw nothing but blackness after that.

Continues with Part 5


	6. Surprises for a Couple of Former Robins

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?

Scarlet Fever

Part 6: Surprises for a Couple of Former Robins

"Where should we start?" Nightwing asked. He would have preferred they stay together, but Red Robin had driven off before he could tell him. Now it looks like it was just him and Red Hood, They were jumping from the roof top to roof top, leaving their motorcycles behind until they actually needed them.

"Well, we should definitely split up. I have two places on where the labs could be. Both of them being where I have . . ." Red Hood stopped and corrected himself. "Where I used to have my shit set up at."

"And that would be where?" Nightwing knew this was hard for Jason. It's a bad habit that needs to be kicked out now before their father got wind of it.

"Do you remember where I kept my old safe house at? The worn down apartment building?"

Nightwing nodded.

"In the basement of that building or in a warehouse that I own." Red Hood felt like the clown was mocking him. 'He wants me to come and confront him.'

"What about the movie studio?" Nightwing asked.

"That could be a red herring," Red Hood stated. "That fucking clown likes to show off. There have been times he's been more subtle. He likes to hit you where you live." Red Hood was thinking of Barbara.

"All right, you take the warehouse and I'll take the apartment building."

Red Hood and Nightwing headed in separate directions. Nightwing though couldn't help feeling like he should have gone after Red Robin and talk to him. He hoped his little brother wouldn't run into trouble. RHNRHNRHN

Red Robin was unconscious. He wasn't aware that two of the Joker's thugs had found him.

"Well, well, look what dropped in . . . The first Robin of spring."

"Let's do him," the second thug said as he pulled out a gun.

"Nah, the boss will want to take care of this one personally. He likes beating up birds."

"Too bad he ain't got his wings no more. I'd pin them on my wall."

One thug grabbed Red Robin from under his arms while the second picked up his feet. They carried him through the darkness.

RTRTRTRT Red Hood went back to get his motorcycle. He had some time to think. He wanted his empire back. It was the only place he could have some sort of control. Living with Bruce was starting to cramp his style. He didn't even know why he agreed to live by Bruce's rules. Then again, there was Scarlet and she was carrying his twins. He was warring with himself on what he should do.

'I can't . . . I can't do that. But the money would be for my kids.'

The debate continued in his head until Red Hood arrived at the Warehouse where his stash of weapons could be found, along with some cash and even some drugs, drugs that he had debated about giving to the GCPD. It was evidence, but sometimes evidence of this type would end up disappearing. Maybe he just needs to get rid of it himself, burn it. There were some honest cops and if they found this place . . . Red Hood noticed that something was off. He could tell that the lock to his warehouse had been tampered with. He should call in back-up to be certain, but instead like everyone else, he had to resolve this himself. RTRTRTRT

Nightwing entered Jason's old apartment building from the roof. The place looked like hell. It was falling apart. It had been abandoned long ago. Still, the place felt off in some way. Instead of taking the stairs, Nightwing jumped down through the central core, landing on his feet like a cat. He needed to get to the basement. He didn't notice that his had broke the beam of an electric eye.

NRTNRTNRTN

"What have we here boys?" Mr. Whiteface stared at the two thugs and what they were carrying.

"A little present for you, Mr. Whiteface."

"Red Robin is it? You changed your outfit. Take his belts from him. We don't want him to use any of his tools. Tie his hands and feet. Don't want this one flying away. We'll wait a few minutes for him to wake up, then the fun can begin." RTRTRTRT

Red Hood headed into the building. Just as he thought, his whole stash was gone. The building was not quite empty. A box was sitting on the floor near the far wall. In the low light, he couldn't make out whether it was one of his that got left behind or whether it had been placed there after the fact. Red Hood walked over to the box and checked it over. It was red with grey ribbon and a bow around it. There was a tag. Red Hood looked at the tag. It was addressed to him. He should have been more suspicious. He picked up the box. It had weight to it.

'What the hell is in here?' He made the grave mistake of opening up the box. Another small note was inside. "Duck and cover?"

A light turned on and he could see the final count down of red numbers from the clock that had been strapped to one of the support beams. Only a few seconds were left when Red Hood realized he had sprung the trap. That bastard planted a bomb! Just like the one that killed him! Red Hood ran as fast as he could to get outside. He was only ten steps away from the entrance when the bomb blew, and the whole structure started collapsing around him.

Continues with Part 7


	7. Another Broken Bird

Scarlet Fever

Sasha decides to take matters into her own hands when Tim gets hurt by the Joker on patrol.

Part 7: Another Broken Bird

Red Hood heard the buzzing in his ears. It let him know that he was alive. His helmet was cracked and there was a broken piece near his jaw line where part of his mouth had been exposed. He had survived the blast, but there was dust clogging this lungs and he was partially buried. He was coughing to try and clear what was in his chest. He had been lucky. Most of the debris stayed toward the center of what remained of the collapsed warehouse. There was also another buzzing in his ear. It was a few minutes before he realized it was his com link. "Nightwing to RH!"

The voice sounded frantic, almost panicky.

"LITTLE WING ANSWER ME!"

It was another minute or two before Red Hood recognized the voice and pressed the button on his helmet to answer the com.

Red Hood coughed a few more times. "What Nightwing?"

"Did a bomb just go off in your location?"

"What . . . " The ringing in Red Hood's ears hadn't quite died down.

"Did a bomb go off in your location?" Nightwing repeated.

"Yes. Was there a present wrapped in red and grey waiting for you?"

"Yes," Nightwing answered. "Apparently the locations we checked out were meant to be traps to throw us off of the Joker's real location."

"We need to find Red Robin," Red Hood coughed out.

"He said he was going to Amusement Mile."

"Oh great, that's probably where that clown is hiding. There's no telling what the hell the Joker has planned up at that fucking Mile. Meet me there in ten."

"I'll be there."

Red Hood shut off his com link and extracted himself from the remaining debris and made it out to his motorcycle.

NRNRNRNR

" . . . Ugh. . ."

"Well, it's about time you came awake, cupcake," Mr. Whiteface grinned. "It's rude to fall asleep at a party."

Red Robin's eyes popped open behind the lenses of his mask. He recognized that voice and face. "Joker . . . "

"Aw, you recognized me, my disguise must be slipping."

Red Robin struggled against the bonds that held him. He not only was spread eagle on the dirt floor, he was face down with his hands and feet tied to stakes.

"Your name will be trash . . . Aaaah" Red Robin was struck across the face with a crowbar as if his head was a golfball and the crowbar was the driver. He could feel that a couple of teeth had been jarred loose and his lip was split. Part of his mask was actually torn away, and it felt like he had a long gash across his cheek.

"Now, that's rude. You're going to have to be punished."

Red Robin was struck again and he could hear the sound of his ribs breaking. He tried to suck in air, but he couldn't breathe.

"Speak up I can't hear you," the Joker said as he continued to hit Red Robin in the ribs.

JRJRJRJRJRJR

Nightwing and Red Hood arrived at Amusement Mile at the same time. Both couldn't help notice the condition both of their uniforms were in.

"What happened to you?" Hood asked.

"He thought it would be hilarious to have sharp needles shoot at me when the damn bomb went off," Nightwing glared.

"The clown tried to drop my own warehouse on me. Talk about ironic. Let's get this over and done with."

"Red Robin, come in," Nightwing called through the com link. There wasn't an answer.

"You don't suppose . . . "

"Let's just hope he just turned his com link off, though he knows better not to." The silence was deafening. He didn't want to read into it more than he already was. Nightwing kept his fears to himself. RHNRHNRHN

Red Robin glared at the maniac when he came into his line of sight. His left eye was swelling shut and despite not being able to breathe, he was doing his best not to pass out.

"Louder, I want to hear you sing."

The Joker swung the crowbar, again, striking Red Robin again in my ribs, this time on the other side. Red Robin could feel more of his ribs break. Then the Joker hit Red Robin across his back and then down on his right thigh. He kept hitting him until he heard both legs break. Red couldn't take it any more, the pain and the loss of blood was making his head swim.

"That's enough, for now. I've got another party to attend, and a lot of happy pills to pass out. This was a blast." The Joker dropped the crowbar by Red Robin's face. "A little message for Red Hood, if he shows up." The sound of ticking was the last thing Red Robin heard as he passed out. Continues with Part 8


	8. Moving Day

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?Scarlet Fever

This is a very short part.

Part 8: Moving Day

Mr. Whiteface went back to his office to gather his box of pills and whatever else he needed. Moving his operation would be best. The labs luckily weren't in the buildings he just blew up. Those were red herrings, distractions before the big joke was revealed. If the Bat's brats were snooping around then the police were sure to discover his little operation. This office building wasn't exactly private. There was an insurance company that employed three people across the hall. Someone was bound to make the connection. He just needed to remove one loose end, maybe four. He'll start spreading the word again once the dust settled. At least the Bat's brats would be out of commission for a while.

"Mr. Whiteface?" The young man came into the office. "I came in to get some more pills. You won't believe how fast they sold out. Here's your share of the profit."

"Aw young man. Thank you very much."

The young man handed Mr. Whiteface a stack of bills.

"Why, I am impressed," Mr. Whiteface stated. "I am going to be moving my location. This place is going to need renovating soon."

"Where will you be moving to?"

"I'm moving uptown you could say, but I won't be needing your services."

"You're firing me?"

"You might say that." Mr. Whiteface pulled a gun out of a drawer and fired. "Can't have you complaining about not having any benefits."

Mr. Whiteface went back to cleaning out the office. "Boys, bring the furniture. You can leave the old rug on the floor. It's got a stain on it."

All that was left was the sound of a ticking clock, then silence, just before the alarm was about to go off.

Continues with Part 9


	9. Healing And Arguments

Scarlet Fever

Sasha decides to take matters into her own hands when Tim gets hurt by the Joker on patrol.

Part 9: Healing and Arguments

Batman was sitting at the computer when his sons pulled into the cave. He saw Nightwing had Red Robin in front of his motorcycle. Bruce frowned from under his cowl.

"Bats . . ." Nightwing was pulling in shallow breaths. Tim lying against his chest didn't help his breathing. Batman's heart sank like a stone when he saw Tim's condition. Nightwing carried a bloody Tim as he carefully lifted him from the front of his motorcycle. After removing his helmet, Batman could see Red Hood's face was a mask of hatred about to boil over. "Get him to the medical bay," Batman ordered. "Report." Nightwing moved quickly and placed Tim in the med bay despite his own need to breathe. He was glad that Tim was unconscious and not suffering from the excruciating pain. "Should I grab Samantha?"

"Yes. We need to assess his injuries," Batman stated. He moved over to the medical bay and hitched in a breath. It looked bad. He went through the list of injuries. "Bleeding from the left ear! Could be brain hemorrhage as well as broken ear drum." Though he hoped that was all it was. A brain hemorrhage could mean a lot worse, and Tim could die without ever regaining consciousness. While Batman was assessing Tim's injuries, still in uniform Nightwing went up the stairs to get Samantha. He found her with Sasha in her room. They looked like they were planing something together.

Samantha looked up when she saw Nightwing enter. She did not expect to see Dick in uniform, but knew it was him from the expression on his face. What she didn't expect to see was the fact that his uniform was torn in several places, and there was a gash across his chest. Something in that moment, brought a change over her. She smelled the iron-rich blood. Her stomach growled suddenly. She ignored it and concentrated on Dick's condition. "Oh my god, Dick what happened to you?"

"Don't worry about me. Tim is the one in pain. Come on, we need you."

'Oh no..what happened now?' Not only did amantha's gut start to twist, the blood she was smelling from Dick was making her feel disoriented. She didn't know if she could take much more of this, of Tim getting injured. She got up and followed Dick down to the cave with Sasha right behind them. "Broken ribs on both sides," Batman continued to list Red Robin's injuries.

Alfred came in behind him and hitched in a breath.

"Breathing is raspy . . . Collapsed lung possible . . . Broken leg . . . Correction . . . Both legs. Batman turned Tim over after seeing the scorch marks on his uniform. "Plus, he's got third degree burns on his back."

Flashes of finding Jason in a warehouse beaten and burned from the Joker came into Batman's mind. He had to stay calm, but he was finding it increasingly difficult. The cowl actually kept him focus. If he were to take it off, he just might break down. He saw Dick coming down the steps with Samantha. He wanted to hide this from her, but he couldn't. She was going to have to face the reality that sometimes they would receive devastating injuries that could lay a person up for months. With Samantha's emerging healing ability, they could turn months into weeks, and maybe even days. Even so, he was concerned what this was going to do to her.

Samantha could smell the blood the moment she entered the cave. Once again it gave her that disoriented feeling. She tried to keep herself from falling into it. As she walked into the medical bay and saw Tim, she tried to keep from panicking. He was lying so still. "What happened?" Tim looked so broken, bloodied, and bruised. He wasn't responding as Batman worked around him. Batman looked toward his sons. Jason's hands were curled into fists. 'It reminds me of the argument that Jason and I had. "I don't want to kill everyone, just him." I know who he means. I can feel his accusing eyes on me.'

"That…..Bastard beat Tim down." Jason was keeping everything inside. Trying to hold it down. 'This is why I want to run the drug trade...one of the reasons. So, kids like Tim won't be hurt by it.' he thought to himself. "He beat him just like he did me...and left a fucking bomb to go off to finish the damn job."

"Master Jason, language," Alfred chastised. "That does not help matters." Alfred grabbed a few items then went back upstairs to tend to the youngest in the family. It looked to him that Master Timothy was in good hands.

"Who is Jason talking about, who did this?" Samantha asked.

"The Joker, a sadistic madman that takes pleasure in torturing this family," Batman stated. "Samantha, you can't heal Tim's wounds all at once. It will kill you and your children. We can keep him sedated, but it has to be done in stages."

Samantha breathed in and tried to control her panic. She needed to take her emotions out of the picture. She didn't realize how much this would affect her, knowing that Bruce and his four sons risked their lives night after night. Caine and Caleb were both upset that their father had been hurt as well. Samantha could sense their minds and how distressed they were. Caine was even calling out for their father. She had to maintain some kind of control for the sake of her children. Once she locked her emotions away, she could concentrate on healing Tim. "Which of his wounds are the worse?" Samantha asked dispassionately. She wanted to heal him at once, but she knew it would put her and her babies in danger.

"The left side of his head, a broken ear drum with possible concussion and maybe brain hemorrhage," Batman explained. "He'll start vomiting if he wakes up. That will leave him dehydrated. The second is a collapsed lung with broken ribs on both sides. He has two broken legs. We can set the bones to help, but you will need to rest in between healing each wound."

Samantha moved over and placed a hand to hover over Tim's head. She did her own assessment and found there was no bleeding into the brain, which was a relief, but there was a severe concussion, and a broken ear drum as Batman had said. Focusing on his head injury, Samantha started to heal Tim. She could feel Caleb helping her. She sensed how quiet and focused he was. His aura helped to stop the bleeding and wash away any bad blood clots. Samantha focused on Tim's skull, making sure there were no breaks where there shouldn't be.

"His back is burned as well. And Dick and Jason have injuries that need tending to. I'm sorry Samantha, it's a lot to ask of you. Please don't overtax yourself."

"I'll do my best not to," Samantha replied as she continued to focus on the worse of Tim's injuries.

"I'm fine," Jason replied with a sharpness to his voice. His helmet, jacket, and kevlar shirt and pants actually protected him from the blast. Though he was going to have to replace his helmet. It had a large crack in it. He sat down on the floor. He needed to focus on something other than wanting to snap that clowns neck.

"I can patch myself up," Dick replied. "It's not as bad as it looks. Just worry about Tim." Dick grabbed some supplies and headed into the locker room to tend to his chest and any small cuts that were caused by the needles that clown had set up for him.

Tim became aware of a warmth spreading through his head, but his stomach at that moment decided to rebel. He turned over on his side and shooting pain hit him on all fronts. His back, his ribs and legs! Tim leaned over the side of the gurney as best he could and vomited into a trash can

"Jason, grab a sedative and something for nausea," Batman instructed. "Make yourself useful."

Samantha watched dispassionately as Tim emptied his stomach into the trash can. He laid back down. "One more, I can do one more healing."

Jason got up and grabbed the supplies. He handed them to Batman. He couldn't look at Tim right now. 'This was partially my fault,' he thought

"No Samantha, you've done enough," Batman replied and took the bottles and the syringe. He gave Tim the nausea medication first then the sedative. It was going to be a long night. "Jason, I still need your help in setting the bones in Tim's legs."

Samantha didn't listen to Batman's protest and worked on Tim's ribs. Resetting them was easy. She moved them back in place and let them fuse together. It was his lung that was the hard part. Her aura couldn't reach and she couldn't turn Tim over because of his legs. There was a light flutter in her aura and Samantha could tell Caleb was helping her with the lung. He was able to heal it fully. That came as a surprise to her. How could her son heal? Instead of questioning it she took over so he would not wear himself out. After all, he was still growing inside her. ^Okay little one no more. Mommy has it for now.^ Samantha turned her focus outward. "Once you guys set his legs I'll heal them tomorrow." Samantha had to admit, she was getting tired and needed to rest.

"What do you need me to do?" Jason asked.

"I need you to turn and pull on his right thigh so the bones are lined up. I can get the femur." Jason went to the right side of Tim and placed his hand on his thigh. He grasped his right thigh and turned it. Tim let out a pained groan, but he stayed sleeping. Batman started to set the femur when he noticed something else was wrong. "Damn, it's broken in two places. His back needs tending to as well. Dick, could you put some wet towels with antibiotic ointment. Jason, start putting a cast around that thigh."

Dick had just come out of the locker room when Bruce asked him for something. He went over a grabbed the antibiotic ointment and a couple of towels. The burns weren't bad, but enough to cause pain. He needed to prop Tim up so he could get to his back. He was quick to tend to them. Making sure they were cleaned before he placed any bandages on over the worst of the burns. He looked to see Jason concentrating on fixing the cast so it fit well.

"If you're wondering why Alfred left and isn't here, Damian started throwing up and complaining about itching. I think he's getting chicken pox. Alfred's tending to him."

"Damn, the little guy is going through it," Jason commented. "I hope he's feeling okay. So much for that so called genetic make-up of his."

"He's not going to like all the itching."

"Dick, I'm going to need your help with this double fracture on Tim's femur."

Dick tossed the towels into a hamper Alfred placed down in the medical bay area. Alfred washed them separately since they needed to be sanitized. "All right, instruct me."

"Once I have the first two pieces in place, I need you to hold the leg steady while I get the third. Jason, you need to come in with the cast."

Jason grabbed a second cast mold and got it ready.

Dick nodded to Batman, giving him the okay to start. Batman pulled on the first portion.

"Aaaaaagghh," Tim cried out in pain

"Damn, one of the bones must be tearing into the muscle."

"Do you want me to help push the bone into place?" Samantha asked

"We need to X-Ray it first to see where the bones are," Batman stated. "One could go through his leg. We don't want that."

Batman and Jason guided the gurney to the digital X-Ray machine being mindful of his other injuries. The image came up on the medical computer.

"See how that lower one is splintered. It's going to go right through his flesh if we're not careful."

"What are you going to do?"

"He may need surgery to reset it. I'm going to call Leslie. She can be over here in 30 minutes." Batman dialed Dr. Leslie Tompkins' number.

"Park Row Clinic, Dr. Tompkins speaking."

"Dr. Leslie, we could use your assistance," Batman growled out.

'Bruce, you don't need to use that voice with me,' Leslie stated to herself, but answered instead since there was a nurse listening. "Who is it you need help with?"

"Tim."

"I thought you were going to bring Tim in to treat the leukemia," Leslie said, her voice somewhat perturbed. She listened to Bruce's explanation. "What do you mean it's gone!? Leukemia doesn't just disappear. All right, you'll have to tell me over one of Alfred's Italian dinners. So what are we dealing with. Compound fracture. I'll be out in thirty. Let me grab my bag. How did it happen?" Batman explained, but was also aware that someone else must be with the doctor.

"Motorcycle accident," Dr. Leslie wrote down. "All right, I'll be there in 30 minutes."

"Doctor, why don't they send for an ambulance and have him brought in."

"I may just recommend it once I know what I'm dealing with. I'll be back." Dr. Leslie went to go grab her bag.

Batman hung up the phone. "She's on her way. We need to keep Tim immobilized. We'll use some anesthetic once Leslie gets here." Samantha started to get weak, but she shook it off. She could hear her babies telling her to sit. ^I can't, not now.^

"Samantha, go lie down on the other medical bed. You won't do Tim any good if you collapse."

Jason went over to Samantha to lead her to the other bed. "Just lie down. Don't be stubborn."

Sasha came down looking for Jason. She held back when she saw everyone was working on a very bloody and wounded Tim. She could guess who was responsible. She went over to Jason to talk to him after he got Samantha to lie down. "What are you going to do about the Joker?" she whispered.

Jason stared down at Sasha. What was he going to do. 'I could kill him. I could erase him from this world for hurting my brother.' Sasha was waiting for his answer, but he just stared at her. He was still on probation with Bruce. If he killed even one person, Bruce would go after him. He had to think about Sasha. Sasha's belly was growing. It was sticking out now. Her pregnancy was becoming more apparent. The thought of losing that put him in a tough position to make a decision. "I don't know. I'm thinking I should let Bats handle this. He blew up the sixth street warehouse with me in it."

"Humph," Sasha was disgusted. "That clown should have been dead a long time ago. You know what Batman won't do and then we're back to square one when he escapes again. I don't want him anywhere near this family. If he threatens us one more time, I'll kill him myself."

"You won't do anything but keep our children safe," Jason argued. "I don't want you going anywhere near that fucking clown." Jason didn't like the way this argument was going. "Trust me I would if I could, but Tim wouldn't want that, and neither would Bruce. They don't like me killing.

"Well, you've changed your tune. You used to kill if it was justified. That clown nearly murdered your brother. And you're not going to do a thing? Excuse me, I think I have the wrong Jason Todd." Sasha walked back up to the Manor seething. 'If he isn't going to do anything, I will.

"Are you kidding me!" Jason lashed out and knocked something over.

Batman and Dick looked toward the noise and saw a fuming Jason.

"Bruce, what just happened?" Dick whispered to his adoptive father.

"Looks like Jason and Sasha had an argument, a heated one. Let them cool off and we'll find out later. Dr. Leslie should be coming any minute."

Dick looked back over at Jason. He was fuming. It was like he wanted to hit something. He'll have to find out later what was bothering his brother. "Okay."

Sasha walked into her and Jason's room and opened her trunk. Inside rested her Scarlet costume. She knew it was going to be a bit snug, but she had to do this. That clown had to pay.

Continues with Part 10


	10. Disorientation and Distraught

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?

Scarlet Fever

Part 10: Disoriented and Distraught

Samantha pulled back away from Tim, allowing Jason to lead her to the other medical bed. Once she was lying down, she started shaking. She hadn't realized how close she had come to harming herself and her children, even harming Tim. Jason was right, she couldn't do anyone any good if she worked herself too much. What was she really getting herself into? Once again, doubts filled her mind. Seeing Tim broken and bleeding was tearing her apart. She had sensed his terror and pain, despite trying to shield it from her own mind and the mind of her children. She could hear Jason and Sasha arguing in the background. She watched as Sasha left and Jason pushed over a table filled with equipment parts.

Who was the Joker? How could he instill such hatred and fear? Couldn't Batman do something about him? Why doesn't he just kill him? Rip his throat out, tear him to shreds. And why was she harboring such blood thirsty thoughts? Lately, she's been craving meat, and not just any meat, raw meat, the bloodier the better. This wasn't from the pregnancy either. When she smelled Tim's blood, something had come over her, a disorientation, almost a bloodlust, of wanting to bite into that flesh and consume it. She had smelled it from the top of the stairs. If it hadn't been for the calming influence of Caine, she would have done just that. He had reminded her that she had a purpose, and that purpose was to heal Tim.

Even so, her need for blood was growing, again. She shouldn't be down here, not now. The smell of blood was causing a change in her that she could not understand. She needed to get away and soak in a tub, anything to stop the craving from taking over. She was thinking about going upstairs to the kitchen when a new voice entered the cave.

"Bruce, you have got to learn to remove that cowl when you call me on the phone."

"This was urgent Doctor," Batman growled.

"What was so urgent that it couldn't wait?" Dr. Leslie Tompkins complained.

"Tim," Batman stated. "He's been beaten by the Joker. Samantha healed a good portion of his injuries . . . "

"Samantha, who is Samantha?"

"She's lying in the bed next to Tim. She's a healer. She's also pregnant with twins."

"Bruce this takes the cake. You brought a pregnant girl into this?" Dr. Tompkins was livid.

"No, I didn't. She's Tim's fiancé," Batman answered with a grin.

Tim gave out a groan at that moment.

"And before you get into it with me about teen pregnancies, Tim needs your help. His leg is badly damaged. Some of the bone is shattered, and part of it is sticking into the flesh of his leg. We can't set it right."

"Do you have any of that bone glue you created?"

"It's on the shelf."

"He'll need to be deeply sedated," Dr. Tompkins stated. "I'll have to put in pins. He's going to be laid up for six months. To keep his muscles from atrophying he will need extensive physical therapy."

"We'll do what's necessary, Doctor. Just get on with it. Your patient is about to come to from the sedative I gave him earlier."

"I will need a medical assistant."

"Alfred can assist, as well as Jason . . . "

"He's gone," Samantha said.

"Gone? Why?" Batman asked.

"He went after Sasha."

"DAMN!" Batman swore under his breath.

"Well, it looks like you're elected as another assistant, Bruce. And get rid of that cowl."

"Dick, can you please, take me upstairs," Samantha stated. She could smell the blood and it was causing her teeth to itch. She needed to get away quickly before the blood drove her into that disorienting state, again. "I think I could rest better up there," she lied.

"Sure, Sammie," Dick had changed into his regular clothes. Even though he would have wanted to stay with his little brother while Dr. Leslie performed surgery on his brother's leg, Dick noticed a sudden change had come over Samantha. He wanted to ask her about it once he got her alone. And even though he had removed bullets and helped stitch up Bruce in the past, the thought of watching someone perform surgery on Tim caused his stomach to be a bit queasy. "We can go tell Alfred that the doctor could use his assistance."

Rather than letting her walk, Dick picked up Samantha and carried her to Alfred's private elevator and took her up to the kitchen.

"Alfred," Dick called out to the butler.

"Yes, Master Richard?" Alfred came out of a door leading to his private quarters. He had spilled some medicine on his shirt while he was taking care of Damian and went to get changed. A butler should always be seen in a clean shirt at all times.

"Dr. Leslie is here and she needs assistance while working on Tim's leg."

"I shall be down in one moment."

Dick then sat Samantha down at the cafe table near the window. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know what you mean." Samantha stated.

"You got a hungry look on your face. You were staring at Tim like he was a piece of prime rib."

Samantha's face paled. "I . . . I don't know, and that's what scares me."

"What caused it, do you know?" Dick asked.

Samantha did not answer. She looked up at Dick with dismay. There were tears in her eyes. How could she tell Dick that the smell of Tim's blood was driving her crazy. It had not happened before. Was she becoming some kind of monster? Why was this happening. "I don't know." Samantha broke down in tears.

Continues in Part 11

A/N: Samantha is changing in ways even she doesn't know. We will learn who she really is in an upcoming story.


	11. Anger's Fever Pitch

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?Scarlet Fever

Scarlet Fever

Part 11: Anger's Fever Pitch

Scarlet's motorcycle wasn't in the cave. It was nondescript enough where she could use it every day. She put on her helmet, climbed on the bike and got it started. She then zoomed out of the garage and down the drive of Wayne Manor, heading to Gotham. As far as she was concerned that clown was dead meat.

'You don't mess with my new family. If Jason wasn't going to do what is necessary, I am.' Scarlet went into the seediest part of town. She wasn't going to find Jason's informant, but her own. She figured anyone who even heard of the clown would probably know where to find him. She grabbed the nearest slimy looking character, dragged him to a nearby alley, and put a knife to his throat.

"Where is the Joker. Tell me or I'll cut your tongue out of your filthy mouth!" The informant tried to struggle out of the woman's grasp. Even though she appeared petite, she had a strong grip. "Why are ya looking for him?" "He hurt a friend of mine," Scarlet stated. "And you don't do that!" Scarlet's eyes narrowed, becoming more threatening. "Shit lady . . okay okay." The informant held up his hands. "Dat red hood character? He's got a warehouse down on seventh. Joker took it over. Said something about killin him..but it was over an hour ago. Don't know if he still in there." "Sorry pal try, again. That warehouse bit the dust." "Ha silly me, forgot dat quickly," the informant laughed nervously. Joker didn't tell everyone where he was at. "Did you check that abandoned fun house he's always at?" "Any other? Use that little brain of yours. Joker wouldn't be caught dead in the same place twice." "Yeah...right. There aren't any more places since he decided to blow up all three buildings includin' his place a business, but take a lucky shot at Black Mask's central head quarters. Heard him and Joker had a mutual hating for Hood and wanted him dead." "And where's that?" Scarlet asked coyly. "Couple blocks from here." The informant pointed north. "Nicest buildin' on da block." "Good boy . . . Now scram . . . And if you tell anyone . . . I'll slit your throat myself." "Geez...wouldn't think about it." The informant ran in the opposite direction. "Man that lady was worse than the Red Hood. She didn't even pay me.' Scarlet watched until the man was gone then she headed to the next block.

SJSJSJSJSJSJS Jason was still seething. He quickly changed out of his uniform. He had to go after Sasha. 'I have kids to think about. I'm trying to change.' Leslie had arrived and was working on Tim with Bruce's help. Dick was standing off to the side. Jason needed to calm down. He really wasn't needed here right now. Bruce and Dick could take care of Tim. 'What if I talk to her? It's been over thirty minutes. Maybe she's calmed down by now.' Jason went up the steps. He entered the Manor and went up to him and Sasha's room. The door was wide open. She wasn't in there. Then he noticed Sasha's trunk was open. Jason went to see what was taken out of it. Her Scarlet uniform, it was gone. 'Please don't tell me she left.' SJSJSJSJSJSJS

Scarlet climbed to the roof of the small office building that once belonged to Black Mask. The climb to the roof was a little more punishing than she expected. Her energy wasn't as high as it used to be for a reason. Scarlet also felt her children kicking her. She placed her hand on her belly.

"Calm down kiddies. Momma's doing this for your sake."

Scarlet walked around until she could see a skylight. She looked down to see an empty room. 'Looks like I have to wait.' Scarlet took out a sharpening stone and a knife, all the while her anger was building into a rage. SJSJSJSJSJSJS

Jason was checking rooms rushing in and out of them just to be sure, but Sasha had left, and he knew why. 'To face the Joker. Scarlet you are such a stubborn . . . ' Jason didn't finish his sentence. He rushed back down to the cave, threw on his uniform, and started up his motorcycle and rushed back towards Gotham. He had to get to Sasha before she did anything stupid.

SJSJSJSJSJSJS Scarlet didn't have to wait long. She heard voices coming below and the Joker came in with three of his men. Scarlet waited until there was sufficient separation from his men then she dropped down through the skylight grabbing the Joker around he neck. She pressed her sharpened blade against his throat.

"I'm taking him out of here and no one follows . . ." One of the Joker's thugs looked at the boss. The woman had him by the throat. She looked just as crazed as him. "All right lady, we'll back off." Scarlet had to move around the edge of the room to get to the door. "Don't try anything." A second thug put his gun back into his pocket. "We ain't gonna try nothing." He looked at his boss' face and figured he had something planned. That wicked smile on his face told all. "Where are we going? To play games? Oh I love games!" The Joker crooned. 'This girl held on tight to me. I wonder what type of punching bag she'll make. I haven't punched a woman in a long time.' "Oh we're going to play a game all right," Scarlet stated. "It's called Woman Kills Clown!" "I get to be the woman, right?" The Joker grinned at Scarlet. "Shut up!" Scarlet growled. 'This clown is starting to annoy me,' Scarlet thought. 'I should just slit his throat.' She pressed the knife closer. "You know lamb chop, I was really disappointed to see you and not my boy Hood." The Joker pressed one of his joy buzzers agains her arm and set it off.

'OWW!"

Scarlet loosened her grip. It was just enough for the Joker to twist out of her grip. As he kicked her away, Scarlet's knife nicked him a bit. He touched the small wound with his figures getting blood on them, then licked them. "Mmmm, tasty." The Joker came close to kicking her in the pelvis with a steel tipped shoe.

'"OWW!" Scarlet cried out and wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. 'No . . Not my babies!' While Scarlet was distracted, two of the Joker's thugs grabbed her. "Whaddya want ta do wit her?"

"Oh..i don't know...have your way with her I guess," The Joker started to laugh. "Maybe that will teach her a lesson." His men grinned at each other then down at her. "I guess it's time for them to play a game with you Lamb chop! Have fun!" Fear filled Scarlet's eyes and her voice wavered. " . . . No . . . " "Come on toots. Ya gonna love dis." The two pulled her into another room and threw her on top of the table. "Noo . . . Mmmmmm!"

One of the men covered her mouth and started ripping at her clothes. Scarlet tried to struggle but the other held her down by her shoulders. "Oh yeah, we're going to have some fun with you!"

"MMMmmmm mmmmm!" Scarlet screamed in her own mind. 'NO! JASON! I'm sorry!' Continues with Part 11


	12. Lives At Stake

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?Scarlet Fever. This chapter is rated T+ for Jason's language.

Part 11: Lives at Stake

Red Hood sped through the streets of Gotham. Since Samantha had opened their awareness to communicate in other ways, Jason was trying to sense where Sasha could be. He suddenly became aware of his wife's distress. Sasha was in pain. Following that, Jason knew where he was supposed to go. He sped down a familiar street and realized he was in Black Mask's old territory. His hatred blazed like a fire brand.

'I'm going to kill every single last one of these fuckers.'

After he parked his motorcycle out of sight, Red Hood pulled his guns out and kicked the door in and headed through the building. The Joker went to knock on the office door. "Oh boys! I think play time is over! Hahahahaha our friend has arrived!" Scarlet was crying. It was just too much of a reminder of when she was a prisoner of Professor Pig. She curled on her side. 'Why did I do this?' She questioned. 'Why did I even think I could take on the Joker? Now Jason could get killed because I had to let anger get the better of me.' Red Hood took down anyone who got in his way, saving his bullets for the Joker. He was angry and hurt, hurt that he was pushed to go to the limit when he knew he was trying to stop. Red Hood grabbed the nearest dirt bag and pinned him to the wall. "There's a woman that snuck in here, where the hell is she?" Red Hood squeezed his neck. "Better yet. where's the Joker?" ^J-J-Jason . . . ^ Red Hood sensed the trembling fear of his wife through the link they shared. ^Sasha, where are you?^ The man in his death grip looked scared. He ended him by crushing his throat. ^In . . . Here . . . They . . . Raped . . .me . . .^ Scarlet cried. ^My . . . My babies . . . ^ She wanted Jason to hold her, to take her home. 'I should not have come.' She was regretting her actions big time. She had allowed her anger to fuel her actions. Scarlet became afraid that she might have led Jason into a trap. Not only that, she felt something tear inside. Jason's anger intensified. He saw two men exit a room near the back straightening their pants. "You sons of bitches!" He pulled out his guns and started shooting as he rushed forward. The bullets manage to hit them. Both men collapsed against the wall. One in the knee cap while the other hit dead center in his head. He walked up to the one still living and pulled out his blade. Holding it up. "You raped a woman in there," He growled out. If there was anything he hated in all this world was the raping of a woman or young girl. For him it was a capital offense. He felt that way ever since Gloria Stanton had been raped by Felipe Garzonas, son of Ambassador Jose Garzonas of Bogatago. She committed suicide because of Felipe. And in turn he went to see the bastard. It was also the first time he killed a man and the first time he ever lied to Batman.

"She liked it! Hahaha," The remaining thug spat out, but regretted it. "No...No i'm sorry...don't kill me...please!" The man could see the cold, smoldering hatred in Red Hood's eye through the crack in the red helmet.

"Too late." Red Hood slammed the blade into his chest and twisted. He pulled the blade out and wiping the blade on my pants. He went into the room to see Sasha on her side crying. "I-I-I'm sorry . . . I . . . I should have . . . Listened." Red Hood walked over to her and gently picked her up. He wanted to leave right then and there. Scarlet was crying very hard on his shoulder and kept saying how sorry she was. Red Hood really didn't have too much to say. He wanted that fucking clowns head, for hurting his brother and now his wife. He wanted to blow his brains out of the back of his fucking head.

"Hoodie! Glad you could make it. I'm sure my guys kept your lady friend busy. AHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Red Hood sat Scarlet down and handed her a gun. She knew what to do. Red Hood stood straight up and faced the damned purple menace. "I'm here. I'm all right here. Give me your best." Scarlet held onto Jason's gun, but she was shaking so badly, she didn't know if she could aim it. Red Hood rushed the Joker, slamming the clown prince of crime into the wall. He was laughing the entire time. Red Hood kept punching on him, making him bleed. Every punch was filled with hatred.

'He let those fuckers rape my wife. My poor brother got beat by him.' Red Hood continued to beat on the Joker until he let him fall to the ground. Red Hood kicked at his ribs stomping on his chest. He wanted him to die. 'Fuck the gun I gave Sasha, I'm going to snap his neck myself.' Red Hood knelt down on top of him and wrapped my hands around the clown's pale neck. "STOP! STOP!" Scarlet suddenly didn't like what Jason was becoming. There was so much hatred in him. Sasha could sense that Jason's aura was almost black. It was not only scaring her, it was scaring their twins. She could sense their fear through the link. Red Hood didn't hear Sasha. He couldn't. He didn't want to. Rage blinded him and he squeezed harder. "You damned clown...fuck you."

"That's...*cough cough* it kid. Snap my neck," the Joker taunted. ^PLEASE JASON . . . OUR CHILDREN!^ Red Hood spotted a window. He punched the Joker again and pulled him to his feet. His face was bloody, jaw was broken, his breathing was labored. He roughly dragged the clown to the window, his grip tighter than usual. "I'm going to kill you," his voice stone cold. "NO!" Scarlet started to cramp. 'NO! I can't lose them. I can't!' She curled herself into a ball. ^JASON . . . THE BABIES!^ Jason could sense pain, but it wasn't coming from him. He suddenly dropped the clown and backed away slowly and went back to Sasha.. He was breathing heavily and his knuckles were sore. "Sasha." He knelt down in front of her, not caring that he spoke her actual identity out loud. "Get me home . . .Samantha . . . Hurry!" Scarlet pleaded. Red Hood I picked her up and headed back to the cycle. She was clutching her stomach* Hold on honey...hold on. *I sat her on the motorcycle in front of me and I sped back to the cave Continued with Part 13


	13. Recrimination and Regrets

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?

Scarlet Fever

Part 13: Recrimination and Regrets

"Bruce . . . Bruce, wake up Samantha . . . Sasha's going to lose the babies!" Jason screamed in a full blown panic, through the com link. 'God I hope he answers.'

Batman went over to the computer after Dr. Leslie finished with Tim's leg. He could hear the panic in Jason's voice coming over the loudspeaker. He checked Jason's location and frowned. He traced the signal back toward it's source and realized where Jason had traveled from. He had gone back into Gotham? He had not seen Jason leave since he had been assisting Dr. Leslie with Tim's second broken leg.

"Red Hood, why are you in Gotham with Scarlet?"

"I'll tell you later, please, just wake up Sammie. We are almost to the cave."

"She went upstairs to rest. What's wrong?"

"Just get her, please!"

Sasha could feel that the cramping was getting worse. She had to clamp down to hold on. ' . . . No . . . Please no . . . We lost one child, we can't lose two."

'I can't lose my kids. I just can't!" Tears streamed down Jason's face underneath his helmet.

JSBJSBJSB

"You're going to need to heal Tim's leg," Dick tried to console Samantha.

"I don't know if I can," Samantha stated. "I don't want to feel that disorientation, again."

"We'll deal with it. We'll find out what's causing it."

"Master Richard," Alfred came rushing into the kitchen. "Master Jason is going to need Miss Samantha."

"What is it Al?"

"Something about not losing her babies."

SDASDASDA

Jason skidded to a stop in the cave. He picked up Scarlet and quickly took her to the only other gurney in the medical bay. Jason spotted Samantha coming down the steps. "Please, Sammie, you've got to help her."

Samantha noticed one thing as she re-entered the cave. The smell of blood wasn't so strong. It was mingled more with disinfectant and bleach. Alfred must have been cleaning up. She saw Dr, Leslie Tompkins rush over to where Red Hood and Scarlet were after she had finished putting Tim's other leg into an identical cast.

"I don't know if I can save them," Dr. Leslie Tompkins stated. "It may require surgery to keep them inside."

"No, it won't," Samantha said calmly as she approached the medical bay. She knew she could do this. She could sense the struggle from Sasha's babies. She hurried over and went to see Scarlet. "Move, let me work."

"What are you going to do? You're not a doctor," the doctor demanded.

Samantha ignored her question and placed a hand on Scarlet's belly. The babies were in deep distress. She looked at Jason. His aura was torn again. Part of him was black. It would require someone more powerful than her to fuse his two halves together. Right now, it was Sasha and her children that needed attention.

"Please, help me. Please save my babies," Sasha pleaded behind her Scarlet mask.

"I will. Just relax." Samantha closed her eyes and focused her healing energy. Within that touch she learned what had happened. The twins were terrified. Father? Scared of father? What happened? They proceeded to tell Samantha. Why they were losing hope. ^Oh babies . . . Your father was just trying to protect what is his.^ Samantha tried to reassure the twins. "Jason . . . Come here, Jason."

Samantha reached out for his hand. Jason walked over to Samantha. She placed his hand on Sasha's belly. "Talk to them. They are scared. They think you don't want them any more. Use your mind."

"Oh, Jason . . . I'm sorry," Sasha cried. "This is my fault. I'm not worthy of you."

^Babies, I'm not mad at you. I love you so much. You . . . You're like my little lights. I need you to be strong. Please . . . Please don't go. Don't let your mother and I lose you, two.^

Samantha could feel the babies start to feel hope, again. Their auras started to shine brighter. ^That's it little ones, come back. Your parents need the both of you.^ Samantha repaired the placenta and reattached it to the wall of her womb. The tear in the womb slowly closed. Samantha took her time to make sure it wouldn't happen, again. "Sasha, how do you feel?"

"Better," Sasha switched to private speech. ^My soul is hurting. I hurt Jason's aura. I caused him to kill. I'm not worthy to be his wife. When they are born, I cannot stay.^ Sasha rubbed her belly absentmindedly.

^Do not think that Sasha. Don't you dare do that to them. Don't walk away from them. Jason's aura can heal. He was just worried for you and the babies. He snapped, but he can heal.^

Sasha started crying, again. She just did not feel worthy of being with Jason or his family. 'If only they know the things I've done, they would not be welcoming. I'm the cause of this. I should have stayed home.'

"Jason," Samantha called Jason over. "Her body has been healed, but she's going to need you in order to heal more. Help her. She feels responsible," Samantha whispered in Jason's ear.

"Thanks," Jason whispered back. Jason leaned over Sasha's weeping form and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "You can't leave me. Don't leave me." Jason wrapped his arms around Sasha.

"This is my fault. IF I hadn't gone after the Joker . . . I didn't understand . . . . You . . . You killed because of me . . . And now your aura . . ."

"That doesn't matter," Jason mumbled to her. "We just . . . Didn't have an understanding on the matter. I killed loads of times, remember. Just, I scared our babies. I feel bad that I almost caused you to miscarry. I love you and our babies. Please, don't leave me. Don't get up and leave." Jason clutched onto Sasha as tight as he could. Jason placed a hand on her belly. He could feel his babies shift under his hand. "Our babies are fine now. Please, don't be upset any more. They love you. I know they do."

"You still love me?"

"Of course I still love you, Sasha. You thought I didn't ;one you any more?"

"You were filled with so much hate . . . You didn't care any more."

"I was scared that you left and went after him, like you didn't care about my words. I was so mad at you. You put our babies and yourself in danger. The Joker doesn't care that you're pregnant. He would have stabbed you just to make you suffer, kill our children, then you. Do you know who that would've destroyed me if you died? If you and our babies died?"

Sasha felt deeply ashamed and she cried harder, sobbing out her guilt. It felt like she couldn't apologize enough. That was why she felt unworthy. She had jeopardized her life and heir children's lives.

Jason pressed his lips to hers, again. "Please don't feel ashamed any more. Our babies can feel that."

"Jason, take her upstairs," Bruce stated. "I think she needs more than your words to show that you still love her. We need to move Tim to his room."

Jason nodded and picked up Sasha. He carried her up the steps and back into the Manor. He didn't let go of her and continued up the stairs and into their room. He laid her on the bed and started to kiss her.

Sasha kissed Jason back, but she wasn't as enthusiastic. She wanted him, but the men who raped her made her more tentative. She didn't want to be hurt, again. Her tears were still spilling. She felt like she didn't deserve Jason. She wanted Jason to make love to her, but at the same time Sasha was scared of her own feelings and fear of what those men did to her.

"Love, are you okay?" Jason pulled back when he realized Sasha was hesitating, even pulling back a little. He cupped her face.

"No . . .," Sasha cried, her tears dripping down. "They raped me. I'm scared. I want to, but they hurt me."

"Sweetie, we don't have to do it if you don't want to," Jason stated. 'I wish I could have tortured those guys more," Jason thought, keeping his thoughts private. "I won't force you."

"Just hold me. I'm not ready." The rape had reminded Sasha of when she was a prisoner of Professor Pyg. It was horrible. She was raped almost every night and to a point where she didn't care. He face had been badly scarred. She still had a small scar left, right behind her right ear. Batman and Robin stopped Pyg, but it was Jason who took her away from that life and gave her a purpose, again.

Jason rested his back agains the headboard and brought Sasha close. 'My best friend, my partner, my lover, my everything is hurting,' he thought. "I'm here."

Sasha cuddled into Jason's arms, feeling his warmth. She needed him to take the hurt away. She didn't want to go back to that life, feeling that anger, that hate, that indifference to the world.

Jason rocked her gently in his arms, humming a bit. He didn't want her to feel torn, used, ever again. 'That's not my Sasha. She's confident and head strong. Very loving and caring at the same time.'

"How is Tim doing?" Sasha suddenly asked.

"He's weak right now, but with Samantha's help, he'll feel better in the morning."

"That's good." Sasha was feeling tired. With Jason holding her, she started to relax and was soon falling asleep.

Jason held onto her for a little longer, still rocking back and forth. Once Sasha fell asleep, Jason started to cry. His aura was back at stage one. He didn't hold any animosity towards Bruce or Tim. He was just angry.

JSBJSBJSB

After Bruce had changed out of his uniform, Tim was taken care of and taken to his room. He helped Alfred, get Tim comfortable. He thought that Dick would be up here helping. And he could not help noticing that Samantha had rushed back upstairs as soon as she was done with Sasha. Maybe he would find out later from Dick or talk to Samantha later as to what was going on. Right now there was another young lady he needed to check on. Bruce headed to Jason's room. He knocked on the door and entered. "I came to see how Sasha was doing and I find you're not doing well yourself."

Jason shoot his head no. He brough Sasha close to him when she slipped a bit. "Bruce I was so mad, so angry that she went off. I was so afraid that something bad would happen, and it did."

"What happened?"

"She . . . She was raped by two of the Joker's men."

"I am sorry, Jason," Bruce could see Jason loved Sasha very deeply. He was hurting just as much, "What happened to the men that raped her?"

Jason didn't want to say anything. He pressed his face into Sasha's red hair.

"Son, tell me."

"I . . . I killed them. Shot one between the eyes and stabbed one in the chest," Jason whispered.

Bruce wanted to be disappointed in Jason's actions, but with children at stake, he couldn't. "Did you catch them in the act?"

"No, but I caught them coming out fixing their pants," Jason sobbed. "And one of them said she liked it."

"I'm sure she didn't. I'm sure she tried to fight them."

"But I wasn't there to help her. I should have tried to stop her from going."

"Sasha is a strong headed woman," Bruce stated. "You would not have fallen in love with her if she wasn't. And you did what was necessary."

"It's not what you would have done," Jason stated.

Bruce sighed. "It may not have been, but you did one thing for more important than just following the rules. You saved lives, the lives of your wife and children. When it comes down to the lives of unborn children, I might have done the same thing."

"Really?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure what I would have done. I probably would have beaten them senseless to where they were still alive and could stand trial for rape, but that might mean that Sasha's secret identity would be compromised, and even yours."

"I don't care about that," Jason scoffed.

"I know, but you know the repercussions if it happens."

"I know."

"Let's get off this topic. You need rest. And in a few hours, I'm going to have to ask Samantha to heal Tim's legs. Dr. Leslie was impressed with Samantha's skills, though, I think she might also be a bit jealous."

"Sure," Jason said. He lighted his grip around Sasha and placed his chin on her head. Once he was comfortable, he let himself drift off to sleep.

Bruce gave Jason a quick peck on the top of his head. He brushed his hands along his son's head then left his son and wife to their rest. Once, out in the hallway, Bruce's face became a hardened mask. It was time that he and the Joker had a serious talk, with his fists.

Continues with Part 14


	14. To Will A Broken Heart

A/N: Just a few days after Tim has been returned to the family, Samantha is having nightmares about Jason and Tim. It was only days before that Samantha had learned the Wayne Family Secret and the meaning of Night Work. Can she reconcile this in her own heart?Scarlet Fever

Part 14: To Will A Broken Heart

Samantha returned to the kitchen. Dick was still there, this time eating a sandwich. "You rushed out of here pretty quick, is everything all right?"

"Jason returned with Sasha. She had been raped, Dick."

Dick's face paled at that revelation. "The babies are they . . ."

"They are fine. I was able to heal the damage."

"And Jason?"

Samantha didn't answer him at first. How could she tell Dick that his brother's aura was blackened once more, and that it was split in two. Not only that, she felt her children's fear at the thought of losing their cousins. And that fear got her thinking about Tim.

"Samantha, what about Jason?"

"I don't get it Dick." Samantha questioned instead.

"Don't get what?"

"Why Tim would risk his life like this?"

"Samantha, you're changing the subject. Besides, I'm risking my life as well," Dick pointed out. "But it's not like . . . "

"I don't like it. He could get himself killed. You're trained he's . . . "

"Trained as well," Dick tried to explain, but Samantha was far into her rant.

"I . . . I can't do this. I can't have my children living in fear that their father is going to get killed."

"Samantha, Tim isn't . . . "

Anger flared. "Besides, he kept this from me. Why didn't he tell me when we first met? What am I to him anyway? Does he even care about my feelings?"

"Tim cares . . . "

"I can't do this. My children are upset. i have to think of them."

Dick sighed heavily. He felt like Samantha wasn't even listening to him. And any argument he could propose might only make the situation worse. Worst of all, Tim's heart was going to be broken for the second time and he couldn't even stop it from happening. The babies that Samantha was carrying inside her were Tim's children, too. What was she going to do? Leave Gotham and go back to that island to raise them? Technically they weren't married yet, but knowing Tim, he wasn't going to let Samantha do that. He's the kind of person where he would want to do the right thing and marry her so their children would have a name and father. This new situation wasn't Tim's fault, not totally. Tim can usually handle himself when he's at full strength. In truth, Jason had been right. Tim should not have gone off alone. He wasn't ready to handle someone like the Joker. Dick didn't blame Samantha for being angry, but what was Samantha expecting after she learned of Tim's secret identity, all of their secret identities actually. That it was just a hobby? She didn't understand or know the reasons why they did what they did. Dick was going explain further when Bruce approached them in the kitchen.

"Samantha, I need you to take care of Tim's legs now that the bones have been set."

"I . . . I'm still healing myself," Samantha said, trying to brush off Bruce. In truth, she didn't want to be near Tim right now, if ever. She didn't want these children exposed to any more violence.

"Tim will be out for months. You'll be able to heal him where that time will be cut in half."

"Let him heal naturally," Samantha stated bitterly.

"Samantha, you have gifts. Those gifts could benefit so many people."

"I don't know."

"I can understand your reluctancy. What you saw doesn't happen very often. We always do our best to keep each other from harm."

"I'm still confused."

"Take your time. Tim is up in his room. He'll be sedated for a few more hours.*

"All right, but if I decide that this isn't . . . You're not going to force me . . . "

"Samantha, I am your sponsor, not your father, and I am not like Devlon. I'm not going to force you into something you are not comfortable doing, but I hope you will consider me someone whom you can talk to when you're feeling confused."

"I know, it's just that there are other things going on and I need to deal with that."

"Other things going on, like the reaction you had to Tim's blood," Dick stated.

"What reaction?" Bruce questioned.

"It's nothing," Samantha growled, doing a pretty good imitation of Bruce. "I don't want to talk about that," Samantha stated."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. Something happened when she saw Tim, something dangerous. Whatever it was, they were going to have to deal with hit. Dick obviously knew. Bruce was going to have to ask him later on what was going on. For now, he let Samantha keep her own counsel.

"You're going to need to find out why," Dick coaxed. "It could happen, again."

"I know, that's what I'm afraid of."

"I'm going to check on Tim and then I'm heading to bed. You let me know if you want help figuring it out."

"All right."

After finishing her cold tea, Samantha left the sanctuary of the kitchen. She needed a place to where she could meditate. She used to go to the edge of the ocean and stick her feet in the water. Baths weren't exactly doing it for her, though adding salt to the water seemed to help. Her skin lately was feeling excessively dry. Maybe she'll heal the bones in Tim's legs and be done with it. That's all she'll do. He'll have to heal the rest of the way on his own.

~Mommy, why are you mad at Daddy?~

^It's nothing little one.^ Samantha spoke to her children through the link.

~Did Daddy get hurt by the man with the crowbar?~

^Yes. He should have stayed home. He didn't^

~What are you going to do Mommy?~

^I don't know, Caine.^

Caine didn't say anything else after that. He knew his Mommy was upset. And any argument he might put toward his father might be received badly. Instead he went silent. His brother didn't even voice his opinion. Both wondered what they were going to do, but at this moment, they really had no choice.

Continues with Baby of the Family

A/N: I will be changing the posting date because I will be starting a part time job. We shall see how it goes for me. I haven't worked at a regular job, part time or full time for a long time.


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